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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · mine · bat · rock · spring · object

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — the season
  7. object — a thing
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. object — to protest
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — an aim
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com